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Definition of Imagery
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After Apple-Picking" contain imagery that engages... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines from Robert Frost's poem "After... read full definition
Imagery, in any sort of writing, refers to descriptive language that engages the human senses. For instance, the following lines... read full definition
Prologue
Explanation and Analysis—Animals and Nature:
Ethan Frome is a novel defined by its setting, with Wharton devoting numerous passages to descriptions of the physical landscape. She also frequently uses a combination of imagery, metaphor, and simile to draw comparisons between characters and their environment. The motif of animals and nature emphasizes the profound impact that environmental factors can have on human emotion and behavior.
Related Themes:
Chapter 4
Explanation and Analysis—Silence and Sound:
Throughout Ethan Frome, sound is a motif that emphasizes the loneliness of the novel’s setting and the emotional anguish of its characters.
At several points throughout the novel, Wharton associates the lack of sound with isolation and insanity. After Ethan’s father dies, his mother’s health rapidly declines, and one symptom of her illness is pathological silence. The novel proposes several potential explanations for this silence, including grief, the diminished traffic on the road to the Frome farmhouse as a result of the new railroad, and the maddening effect of “too many winters” spent in Starkfield.
In Chapter 4, Ethan recalls that the silence was finally broken when Zeena arrived at the farmhouse to help nurse his mother:
Unlock with LitCharts A+[H]uman speech was again heard in the house. After the mortal silence of his long imprisonment Zeena’s volubility was like music to his ears.
Related Themes:
Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Animals and Nature:
Ethan Frome is a novel defined by its setting, with Wharton devoting numerous passages to descriptions of the physical landscape. She also frequently uses a combination of imagery, metaphor, and simile to draw comparisons between characters and their environment. The motif of animals and nature emphasizes the profound impact that environmental factors can have on human emotion and behavior.
Unlock with LitCharts A+
Related Themes:
